Liver & its functions in the view of Chinese Medicine

By Dr. Louis Jin - The Woodlands Acupuncture & Herbal Clinic Chinese Medicine sees the Liver as having other functions too, that are not recognized by western medicine. These are as follows;

· Storing the Blood

· Ensuring the Smooth Flow of Energy 

· It Controls the Sinews

· It Manifests in the Nails

· It Opens into the Eyes

· It houses the Ethereal Soul

Below I will give a brief description of each function mentioned and I will also go through things that may trigger the liver function to become weaker or imbalanced as well as things we can do to improve our liver function.

Storing Blood
The Liver is the most important Organ for storing blood and because of this it is able to regulate the volume of blood in the whole body at any one time; it regulates the volume of blood according to physical activity as well as menstruation.In terms of physical activity and exercise, when the body is active, blood flows to the muscles helping to nourish and moisten them, however when the body is at rest, the blood flows back to the Liver which contributes to restoring the persons energy. When this function is working well, movement will be good and nourishment to areas needed will abundant, conversely if this function is impaired there will be a lack of blood and therefore nourishment where it is needed and a person will become easily tired.

Similarly if the liver stores blood normally, menstruation will be of normal. In Chinese Medicine a normal period would be medium flow, lasting 3-5 days without pain, clots and also without any premenstrual tension; it would also start and finish quite abruptly without much spotting, if any at all. If Liver Blood becomes deficient there may be a lack of menstruation (amenorrhoea) or infrequent  menstruation (oligomenorrhea) ; if the liver blood is in excess or too hot there may be very heavy periods (menorrhagia). In Chinese Medicine, many gynecological problems can be traced back to the liver function. Additionally if the liver blood is stagnant or not flowing freely you may see symptoms such as painful periods, premenstrual tension or very clotted menstrual blood which can be very common in today's society.

The Liver also plays a part in our immunity; if our Liver is functioning well and storing blood efficiently, our skin and muscles will be well nourished and able to resist attacks from exterior pathogenic factors including viruses and infections. There are of course many other factors and organs present in supporting immunity in Chinese Medicine, however the Liver does play is an important part and cannot be forgotten about.

Ensuring the Smooth Flow of Energy 

The impairment of this function is one of the most common patterns seen in practice. There are three aspects to this function

· Emotional Aspect

· Digestive Aspect

· Secretion of Bile

The smooth flow of Liver Qi (Energy) has a deep impact on a persons emotional state; when this is flowing smoothly the emotional life will be happy, however if this is impaired or obstructed in any way you may experience feelings of frustration, depression or repressed anger along with physical symptoms such as abdominal distention, a sensation of oppression in the chest, a feeling of a lump in the throat or hypochondriac pain (just below the ribs on the left and right sides); women may also experience premenstrual tension.

The Liver assists the Stomach and Spleen in their digestive function by ensuring the smooth flow of Qi; it ensures the Qi of the Spleen and Stomach flows smoothly and in the proper directions; when this function is impaired you may experience energy flowing incorrectly leading to belching, sour regurgitation, nausea or vomiting or diarrhea.

Liver function ensures the smooth flow of bile; if Liver Qi is impaired, the flow of bile may be obstructed resulting in bitter taste, belching or jaundice.

Controlling the Sinews

Movement and physical activity is effected by the state of the sinews (which includes tendons); the sinews ability for good contraction and relaxation to evoke movement depends upon having adequate nourishment and moistening from the Liver Blood. When the Liver Blood is deficient symptoms such as contractions or spasms, impaired extension/flexion, numbness of limbs, muscle cramps, tremors and lack of strength in the limbs may appear.

Manifesting in the Nails

The nails in Chinese Medicine are considered a by-product of the sinews and because of this they are under the influence of the Liver Blood. If the Liver Blood is plentiful the nails will be moist and healthy, however if not they will become dark, indented, cracked and dry.

Opening into the Eyes

Each sense is attached to an organ in Chinese Medicine and the one attached to the Liver is the eye. Again, it is influenced heavily by the Liver Blood; when it is abundant the eyes will be moist and the vision will be good, however if the Liver Blood is not, you may experience blurred vision, myopia (short-sightedness), floaters in the eyes, color blindness or dry and gritty eyes. Although the Liver has a huge influence on the eyes, there are of course other factors at play here including the gallbladder , heart, kidneys, lungs, bladder and small intestine, however I will go into more detail on these factors in separate blog posts.

Housing the Ethereal Soul

The Ethereal Soul is the mental-spiritual aspect of the Liver; it is said to give us the capacity for planning our life and finding a sense of direction in life. If the Liver is flourishing, we can plan our lives with wisdom and vision.

What causes Liver imbalance and what can I do about it?An imbalance in the Liver function is one of the most common patterns I see in clinic; this is because the Liver is easily effected by emotions including anger or repressed anger, frustration, resentment and irritation. Although the Liver has a profound effect on emotions it is also easily effected by them. Due to the western lifestyle, many people harbor such feelings which are often branded as 'stress' perhaps due to working long hours, trying to keep on top of nutrition and meal times, exercising regularly, housework, food shopping and many more things. We are often not resting our minds and our bodies adequately which means the Liver Blood is not able to flow back to the Liver helping to restore our energy.

Something I like to practice daily is deep nasal breathing; essentially focusing on trying to breathe more deeply through my nose into my diaphragm rather than through my mouth into my chest. By becoming more aware of my breathing, I have found this has had a really positive impact on my emotions and my mental health, particularly when I feel I am holding more tension than I would like.

Other things that my be beneficial include meditation or mindfulness, yoga, tai chi, qi gong or something similar; anything that helps you to feel more relaxed that you can fit into your daily routine.

The Liver also dislikes the consumption of greasy foods and foods that are hot in nature such as alcohol, deep fried foods and heavily spiced foods. By eating a diet rich in a variety of whole foods, reducing any hot spices if you have these regularly and limiting greasy foods that are often associated with being more convenient your Liver will thank you and you will begin to reap the rewards. At The Woodlands Acupuncture, me and Dr. Belinda both can assist you overcome any liver dysfunctions by using a myriad of natural, integrative and holistic procedures. Call 713-377-1832 to discover how.